Haitian intellectuals interviewed by Brasil de Fato have sharply criticized the decision by the Organization of American States (OAS) to support an international security mission led by Kenya in Haiti. After United States pressure, an OAS General Assembly meeting was held last Friday (27) in Antigua and Barbuda. Ironically, the Donald Trump administration chastised the OAS for its perceived inaction to combat the crisis in the country, yet, to justify a new wave of deportations of Haitian nationals, it claimed that the situation in the Central American country had “improved”.
“As always, these organizations are enforcing US policy against our America,” stated Camille Chalmers, a Haitian economist and professor. “It’s very clear that the key to changing the balance of power in the Haitian crisis is a change in US policy towards Haiti, which currently involves supplying, from Miami, weapons and ammunition to armed gangs. This approach is mirrored by the Dominican Republic, which is actively working to destabilize us. The OAS will not improve anything at all.”
Josué Mérlien, a writer and trade unionist, echoed a similar sentiment. “The OAS is a US political tool of the US to garner formal support for the policies they wish to implement. The resolution will not help us; the international mission is useless. They [foreign troops] say they’re in Port-au-Prince, but nobody sees them,” he asserted. “What we need is international solidarity to overcome the chaos created by the US, a situation that serves its own interests.”
US pressure
The OAS resolution urges member states to support the Kenyan-led mission, which is backed by the United Nations (UN) and the US. Its stated objective is to help curb the escalating gang violence that has engulfed Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital. However, of the 3,000 security forces promised, fewer than 1,000 have actually arrived in the country.
The Kenyan government’s recently threatened to withdraw funding for these agents. In response, the OAS resolution vaguely mentions “possible humanitarian assistance” to facilitate “free and fair elections” in Haiti, alongside a request for funds to cover the mission’s expenses. Only Jamaica and the Bahamas sent forces to join the Kenyan contingent.
The meeting took place under pressure from the US government under Donald Trump, which sharply criticized the organization on Thursday (26). “Haiti is descending into chaos. Again, if the OAS is unwilling or unable to play a constructive role in Haiti, then we must seriously ask ourselves why the OAS exists,” said US envoy Christopher Landau.
Yet, the very next day, the Trump administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately half a million Haitians residing in the US. TPS is a program designed to protect individuals from deportation when their home countries are deemed unsafe. The US justified this decision by claiming that the situation in Haiti had “improved enough” to warrant the cessation of TPS for Haitian nationals.
Haitian situation
The humanitarian crisis in Haiti remains severe. The UN estimates that 1.3 million people – half of Port-au-Prince’s population– have been displaced due to violence. This year alone, over 2,300 individuals, including approximately 50 children, have been killed. Disturbingly, the UN has also implicated the police in contributing to these grim figures.
Haiti has been governed by the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT), an OAS-backed collective established with the mandate to organize new presidential elections. Despite its formation, the CPT has proven ineffective in ameliorating the country’s dire economic and social conditions. Haiti continues to grapple with widespread acute malnutrition, a severe lack of hospitals and potable water, and an ongoing cholera outbreak.
